Wine Advisor
Coquard Loison Fleurot, Vosne Romanee 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Village, which comes in at 14.4% alcohol this year, does feel a little smudged on the nose compared to other crus. The palate is ripe and heady with opulent black and blueberry fruit, displaying fine acidity and white pepper and thyme toward the finish. It’s a wine that I think will drink best in the flush of youth.
About the Producer
Although owned for many generations by the same family, Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot is a relative newcomer to the international wine market. After years in the business of grape growing the family only recently started to bottle their own wine. Now, with the younger generation at the helm and having established a strong domestic following, Commercial Director Claire Fleurot has widened the lens of the business to include markets further afield. The 9-hectare portfolio of Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot, or ‘CLF’ as those in the know refer to it, includes a clutch of grand cru sites such as Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Clos-St-Denis, Clos de Vougeot, Échezeaux and Grands Échezeaux. This is further complemented by the premier cru Vosne Romanée site of Les Beaumonts, the 2015 vintage of which was described by Jancis Robinson MW as “Juicy and smooth and utterly flattering and gorgeous.” To complete the portfolio is a selection of village plots in Gevrey Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée. Winemaker Thomas Colladot, who shares a close friendship and common approach to winemaking with Sébastien Cathiard of Domain Sylvain Cathiard, joined CLF in 2010. Colladot’s winemaking skills have not gone unnoticed, obviously catching the attention of Wine Advocate’s Burgundy expert Neal Martin when he writes, “Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot - there is clearly a skilled winemaker at work here.” Fruit for all wines is harvested by hand and the wines undergo a maturation of approximately 18 months in oak before being released to the market unfined and unfiltered. Under Colladot’s guidance, the grand cru expressions exemplify power and individual site with signature purity and concentration of fruit. Of the 2014 Échezeaux, Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Vos describes a well-balanced “… big, ripe and bold wine full of red fruits and fine tannins. Crisp red currant outlines the ripe wild-strawberry flavours.”
